Patent application title: SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INCREASING COMPLIANCE WITH A HEALTH PLAN

Abstract:

System and method to determine user compliance with personalized diet and
exercise plans by analyzing responses to messages about the plans. An
expert system has a number of stored messages and display characteristics
from which it chooses. The expert system generates message relating to
the user's diet or physical activity that are sent to a user's mobile
device and analyzes responses. Display characteristics change
periodically and compliance data relating to the user's adherence to the
plan when certain display characteristics are used is stored (e.g., meal
plan adherence, acceptance of specific food selections, and adherence to
instructions and advice in messages). The expert system then determines
which messages and display characteristics achieve the greatest
compliance to the dietary and physical activity schedule and goals.

Claims:

1. A method for tracking, monitoring, and analyzing message data to
increase compliance with personalized diet and exercise plans,
comprising:a) storing profile data for a plurality of users, said profile
data comprising contact information for said users and dietary and
exercise preference data for said users;b) developing diet and exercise
plans for each of said plurality of users, said diet and exercise plans
consistent with said dietary and exercise preference data for said
plurality of users;c) generating a first message for a first group of
users selected from said plurality of users, said first message
comprising content related to said diet and exercise plans for said first
group of users;d) determining a first set of display characteristics for
said first message;e) transmitting said first message to mobiles devices
for said first group of users using said contact information for said
users;f) tracking responses to said first message from said first group
of users;g) generating a second message for a second group of users
selected from said plurality of users, said second message comprising
content related to said diet and exercise plans for said second group of
users;h) determining a second set of display characteristics for said
second message;i) transmitting said second message to mobiles devices for
said second group of users using said contact information for said
users;j) tracking responses to said second message from said second group
of users;k) calculating a first set of compliance measures for said first
message based on responses to said first message;l) calculating a second
set of compliance measures for said second message based on responses to
said second message;m) comparing said first set of compliance measures
and said second set of compliance measures to determine which message
results in a greater level of compliance; andn) generating a third
message and transmitting said third message to a third group of said
plurality of users using said contact information for said users, said
third message comprising content and display characteristics of said
message resulting in a greater level of compliance.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said profile data for said plurality of
users comprises compliance data for each of said users' compliance with a
personalized diet and exercise plan developed by said expert system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said compliance data for each of said
plurality of users is based on a number of messages received and
acknowledged over a period of time.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a first or second set of
display characteristics comprises determining a message tone and
selecting a graphic for a message.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said graphic is an avatar.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein generating a first or second message
comprising content related to said diet and exercise plans comprises
generating a first or second message with content related to a diet and
exercise plan goal.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein generating a first or second message
comprising content related to said diet and exercise plans comprises
generating a first or second message with content related to a diet and
exercise plan activity reminder.

8. A system for generating messages related to users' diet and exercise
plans to send to said users' mobile devices, comprising:a database
comprising profile data for a plurality of users, said profile data
comprising a) contact information for said users; b) dietary and exercise
preference data for said users; and c) compliance data for said plurality
of users wherein said compliance data relates each of said plurality of
users' responses to messages regarding diet and exercise plans;an expert
system for developing a diet and exercise plan for each of said plurality
of users, said diet and exercise plans consistent with said dietary and
exercise preference data for said plurality of users;a server for
transmitting messages to and receiving messages from mobile devices for
said plurality of users using said contact information, said messages
generated by said expert system and comprising content and display
characteristics selected for each of said plurality of users according to
said dietary and exercise preference data and said compliance data;
andwherein said expert system analyzes messages received from said mobile
devices to update compliance data at said database for said plurality of
users for use in generating additional messages comprising content and
display characteristics selected for each of said plurality of users
according to said dietary and exercise preference data and said
compliance data.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said plurality of users have similar
profile data as determined by said expert system.

10. The system of claim 8, further comprising a plurality of compliance
measures calculated by said expert system from said compliance data.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said plurality of compliance measures
comprises a number of users who have responded to said transmitted
messages, a number of users who have not responded to said transmitted
messages, and a number of users who have quit a respective diet and
exercise plan within a specified period of time.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein said message display characteristics
comprise a message tone and a graphic.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said graphic is an avatar.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein said message content comprises a diet
and exercise plan goal.

15. The system of claim 8, wherein said message content comprises a diet
and exercise plan activity reminder.

Description:

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001]This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 12/117,190, filed May 8, 2008, titled METHOD
FOR TAILORED STRATEGY MESSAGES FROM AN EXPERT SYSTEM TO ENHANCE SUCCESS
WITH MODIFICATIONS TO HEALTH BEHAVIORS, which is incorporated herein by
reference and is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 11/856,917 filed Sep. 8, 2007, titled SYSTEM AND
METHOD FOR REWARDING USERS FOR CHANGES IN HEALTH BEHAVIORS, which is
incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002]The present invention relates generally to systems and methods for
assisting with the maintenance of healthy lifestyle habits. More
particularly, the present invention is a system and method for track,
monitoring, and analyzing data to improve user compliance with
personalized diet and exercise plans.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003]The present invention relates generally to systems that promote
healthy lifestyles and, more particularly, to weight loss systems. The
present invention is an improvement upon existing weight loss systems in
that it tracks, monitors, and analyzes data to improve compliance with a
personalized health plan. The present invention may be used to motivate
dieters as well as keep them on a healthy diet while at the same time
allowing flexibility in different dieting aspects including, but not
limited to, types of food, amount of food, types of food preparation, and
amount of exercise.

[0004]Dieting has become an extremely popular activity resulting from
people's awareness of the health risks of becoming overweight or obese, a
desire to improve one's appearance, and an aspiration to achieve the
sense of accomplishment that comes from setting a difficult goal and
accomplishing it. However, there is no singular method of dieting that
works for every person. Body types, weight loss goals, and preferences
vary greatly depending on the individual. Every dieter has individual
likes and dislikes as to types of food, times and places to eat, type and
length of exercise, eating habits, etc. Due to these differences, many
dieters become frustrated with rigid, impersonal diets, and often quit
the diet after a short time.

[0005]Furthermore, dieters differ on how well they can motivate themselves
to continue to adhere to certain dietary guidelines. For example, a
dieter who is supposed to only eat a cup of pasta and a vegetable for
lunch, but instead decides to eat an ice cream cone as well may be unable
to justify such a decision within the diet and decide to give up the diet
for the rest of the day. Because such "splurges" are detrimental to the
dieter's physical and mental progress, the dieter may find the diet
unsustainable.

[0006]Many diet plans fail to allow for individualized exercise schedules.
Typically, the diet plans suggest the same workout schedule for every
person on the diet. For example, the diet plan may incorporate a workout
of a half hour, two to three times a week. Such a generalized workout
schedule has a number of weaknesses. First, it fails to factor in the
type of activity the person is performing. The effectiveness of the
exercise depends on what exercise is performed as well as the intensity.
A half hour of strolling through a park is simply not as effective as a
half hour of running.

[0007]Second, it does not allow for individualized ability. For some
people, working out for half an hour, two to three times a week, may be
physically impossible given their current condition. It may be possible
for them in the future, but the person may to a 15 minute workout for
until his or her health improves. Other individuals may have the desire
and ability to work out for a longer period of time or a greater number
of times per week.

[0008]Another problem with a general workout schedule is that it fails to
factor in the individual's likes and dislikes as to type of activity and
time of day to perform the activity. A plan that proposes exercise two to
three times a week is easily put aside when the person is busy and
distracted by other activities. A person is much more likely to perform
an activity that is scheduled or better yet, for which a reminder is
provided telling the person to perform a certain activity at a certain
time.

[0009]Finally, existing diet plans often fail to take into account details
regarding the user's dietary information. The two parts of the diet
plan--the intake of food and exercise--are generally treated as separate
parts of the plan. However, the two are related in that they both have an
impact on caloric intake. The more one exercises, the more one can eat.
Accounting for both activities allows the impact of one to be applied to
the other. For example, a person may eat a large lunch one day and reduce
the impact of the lunch by including an extra work out later in the week.
Likewise, a person could miss a scheduled workout and compensate for it
by eating a smaller meal later in the day.

[0010]A highly effective solution to many diet program problems is found
through the use of coaching. Research has shown that dieting and weight
loss is more successful when the dieter is coached throughout the
process. Coaching keeps the dieter motivated, provides positive
reinforcement, and introduces a narrowly-tailored plan for each
individual participant. However, obtaining a reliable human coach is
difficult and prohibitively expensive such that relatively few dieters
are actually able to use one.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIVE CONCEPT

[0011]The present invention addresses the diet plan programs identified
above by providing personalized plans to meet the needs and requirements
of individual users and determining users' compliance with the plans. It
uses tailored messages to "coach" individuals in following their
personalized plans. An expert system uses information about an
individual's diet and exercise preferences to provide tailored messages
related to the plan. The expert system further receives from individuals'
responses to messages and other information to determine compliance with
personalized plans. Additional tailored messages are designed to increase
compliance. As a result, individuals receive personalized instruction in
the fields of dieting and exercise without paying the prohibitively
expensive fees that are typically associated with personalized
instruction. Exemplary embodiments allow the individual to use mobile or
portable devices and technology, such as cell phones, PDA's,
Blackberrys®, iPhones®, and others, so that the individual has
constant access to personalized instruction regarding his or her
personalized diet and exercise plan.

[0012]The personalized instruction is based on an individual's diet plan
preferences, food preferences, meal preparation preferences, and exercise
preferences. Behavior challenges are identified and target goals are set.
Once the user's plan has been established, typically by providing the
preference and other information through an online website, the user is
never required to access the site again as the personalized instruction
is given through the user's mobile device. The prior art is known to
center around "pull" technology, where the user must reach out to the
system for the information, and if there is inaction by the user, the
instruction will stop. The present invention uses "push" technology,
where the instruction is sent to the user, and inaction by the user
prompts the system to reach out to the user for corrective actions and
encouragement.

[0013]It has been found, through the study of behavior informatics, that
the use of technology can help people make significant changes in their
health. Gradual change, over a longer period of time, is more effective
for long-term health solutions, rather than behavior changes that are
expected to take place rapidly, over a short period of time. Further,
many dieters are more comfortable using familiar technology to assist
them with their dieting, as opposed to unfamiliar and possibly
uncomfortable office and training room sessions with an actual dietitian
and trainer. The present invention incorporates these concepts into a
diet and exercise instructional platform based on individuals'
preferences to increase the likelihood that individuals will adopt and
follow a plan that helps them reach their personal goals.

[0014]An expert system determines user compliance with personalized diet
and exercise plans and determines appropriate content and display
characteristics for messages sent to a user's mobile device such that the
user's compliance with the diet and exercise plan is increased. A number
of message and display characteristics are monitored for groups of
individuals to determine which ones the individuals respond to in a
positive manner. Such display characteristics include text messages,
pictures, voice patterns, etc. For text messages, the display
characteristics may differ from each other in font, size of message, or
tone of message.

[0015]In one embodiment, the expert system has a number of stored messages
and display characteristics from which it may choose. Every time a
message relating to the user's diet or physical activity is sent to the
user by the expert system, a set of display characteristics is chosen to
display the message. The initial set of display characteristics may be
randomly chosen or there may be a pre-loaded initial set to be used for
every user. The display characteristics are changed periodically and
compliance data relating to whether the user was able to adhere to the
plan when certain display characteristics are used is stored. This
compliance data is stored in a personal profile, unique to each user.
Compliance data can be measured in many different ways including, but not
limited to, meal plan adherence, acceptance of specific food selections,
and adherence to instructions and advice in messages. The expert system
then determines which messages and display characteristics achieve the
greatest compliance to the dietary and physical activity schedule and
goals. These display characteristics are then used when subsequent
messages are sent.

[0016]In addition to the novel features and advantages mentioned above,
other features and advantages will be readily apparent from the following
descriptions of the drawings and exemplary embodiments

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017]FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a process for determining message
effectiveness according to an example embodiment;

[0018]FIG. 2 is an illustration of a process for generating a message by
selecting message content and display characteristics according to an
example embodiment; and

[0019]FIG. 3 is an illustration of a physical structure for an example
embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020]Exemplary embodiments provide a predictive modeling system that
determines a set of display characteristics to maximize a user's
compliance to a personalized diet and exercise program.

[0021]Referring to Table 1, data that is tracked and stored for compliance
analysis according to an example embodiment is shown. Data may be
captured during a user enrollment process and during a user's
interactions with the system. Data categories include: customer (data
provided by customer related to customer's background or profile,
financial, nutrition/diet, behaviors, physical activities, and messages),
general (data related to user interactions with website), mobile (data
about customers mobile device and its use), marketing (data about
customer's introduction to system) and call center (data about customer's
interaction with call center). Customer data includes initial profile
data as well as diet and exercise plan and behavioral data. Initial
profile data is data entered by the user during an enrollment process and
may be changed by the user at any time. It may include such information
as age, gender, income, height, weight, etc. Nutrition and diet data
includes the user's diet plan selection, meal preparation and meal time
preferences, preferred foods and substitutions, adherence data, and
restaurant and shopping list data. Behavioral data includes
identification of problem behaviors and strategies. Physical activity
data include preferred activities and current activity level. Message
data includes data regarding messages sent and received as well as
related timing data.

[0022]As Table 1 indicates, user interactions may be monitored and data
may be tracked according to each user's involvement with the system and
participation in a diet and exercise program. Information about the
frequency and nature of a user's interaction with the system such as the
number of messages sent and received by the user over a period of time,
the frequency and nature of responses to messages, and the frequency and
nature of interaction with a website is collected to later determine user
compliance levels.

[0023]Table 2 identifies queries that may be performed against the data
that is tracked and stored. Queries related to navigation, performance,
and operations may be performed. The queries provide an indication of the
overall effectiveness of the system and may also be used to determine the
effectiveness of individual aspects of the system. For example, various
"campaigns" may be developed and promoted to all users or groups of
users. User interactions may be monitored and tracked as described
previously to determine the effectiveness of the various campaigns.

TABLE-US-00002
TABLE 2
Navigation Performance Operations
Count of active customers Percent increase/decrease in Customer
acquisition cost per
compared to goal number of active customers per customer segment
segment (by day/week/month)
Count of active customers Number of active customers per Number of net new
prospects
per account (business) or account or household (by campaign)
household (consumer)
compared to goal
Count of products & Number of customer referrals Conversion rate of
prospects to
services used by by customer segment customers (by campaign)
customers per segment
compared to goal
Percent share of wallet, Percent increase/decrease in Up-sell/cross-sell
success rate
account or household per number of products used by by customer segment
for
segment compared to customers per segment (by additional products and
services
goal week/month)
Percent retention/renewal Percent increase/decrease in Win/loss ratio per
account or
of active customers by share of wallet, account, or household per segment
segment compared to household per segment
goal
Average tenure of Customer loyalty ratings per Customer retention cost per
customers by segment segment segment
compared to goal
Number of repeat orders Customer loyalty ratings per Number of "winback"
customers
by segment compared to distribution channel & per segment
goal interaction touch point
Number of product or Increase/decrease in repeat Percent of customers by
service upgrades by orders/by segment segment who have interacted
segment compared to with us (with our partners)
goal within the last quarter
Percent of customer Increase/decrease in upgrades Percent of active
customers
outcomes met per per segment enrolled in/with activity in
segment customer loyalty program per
segment
Customer satisfaction Customer satisfaction ratings Number of customers
"likely to
ratings per segment per customer scenario & defect"
segment
Average time to complete Task-specific customer Product feature- or
attribute-
key customer scenarios satisfaction ratings per specific customer
satisfaction
compared to goals interaction touch-point & ratings
channel
Percent of customer Average time to complete key Critical cycle times
responsiveness tasks (e.g. Return the correct
objectives met compared search result)
to goals for critical
customer-impacting tasks
Revenues per customer Percent accuracy of information Timeliness (as
measured by
customer)
Profitability per customer Delivery timeliness and Complexity of
interactions (# of
by segment accuracy steps, # of interactions)
Average order size by Percent cancellations Inventory availability
customer segment
Average spending per End-to-end transaction Rates of returns, claims,
customer by customer execution accuracy and speed abandonment,
segment
Customer lifetime value Growth of customer spending Defect rates
by customer segment by segment
Customer acquisition and Number of customer support
retention costs by segment requests
Costs-to-serve by segment Percent customer support
interactions with 1-touch
resolution
Increase/decrease in sales Early buying signals by
from new products by segment customer segment
Increase/decrease in repeat Costs-to-serve by channels,
sales by segment and touch points

[0024]The present invention may be used to increase compliance by
measuring the effectiveness of various messages that are sent to users.
Messages may be varied by content and presentation and then sent to
different groups of users with similar personal profiles. Within a group,
each member may receive identical or similar messages. After a set period
of time, compliance data can be calculated for each group. Different
messages can then be sent to the same groups or to newly formed groups.
Continuing this process creates a comprehensive set of compliance data
for a variety of message types and formats. The approach allows numerous
data points to be collected for various types and formats of messages and
allows an analyst to determine the effectiveness of various messages.
More effective messages may be deployed to larger groups of users to
increase overall compliance.

[0025]In order to build groups of similarly situated individuals, data may
be purchased from other parties. Users may be placed into different test
groups based upon similarities in their user profiles. Each member of a
group may receive at least one message with similar display
characteristics. For a period of time, different compliance measures may
be recorded for each member in the group. Compliance measures for
aggregate groups may be calculated as well. These compliance measures
include, but are not limited to, percent increase/decrease in number of
active customers, percent increase/decrease in number of products used by
customers, and increase/decrease in repeat orders of product or service
upgrades. These compliance measures may be based on a large sample size,
and allow an analyst to test different display characteristics based on
the type of compliance it seeks.

[0026]FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a process for determining message
effectiveness according to an example embodiment. Once a user group is
defined 10, the expert system determines if the time period for measuring
message effectiveness has started 11. If the period has started, the
expert system determines the substance of the message to be sent 12 to
the users. Messages may relate to user goals, meal plans, diet and
exercise activity reminders, and requests for responses or input related
to an applicable diet and exercise plan. For example, if at least some of
the users have accomplished their dietary goals for the week, the expert
system may send a positive reinforcement message to the appropriate
users. Other users may be asked to provide a current weight or to provide
input regarding an activity performed recently. Then, the expert system
chooses a set of display characteristics to use with the message based on
such information as users' personal profiles 13. The messages are then
transmitted for display on the mobile devices using the set of display
characteristics 14. The user profiles are updated to indicate what
messages were sent and received.

[0027]A message characteristics data store for tracking the messages that
are sent may also be updated at this time 15. The message characteristics
data store may track messages and related display characteristics that
are currently in use or have been used for each user, the time period in
which they were used, and the resulting changes to each user's personal
profile during this time. Once the period for using the specified message
characteristics has passed 16, the expert system calculates and analyzes
the compliance data for the message 17. The compliance data may be based
on the queries identified in Table 2. Messages that result in a greater
level of compliance may be used more frequently and adapted for use in
other groups or for other purposes.

[0028]FIG. 2 is an illustration of a process for generating a message by
selecting message content and display characteristics according to an
example embodiment. In this example, the expert system chooses one of
each of the following display characteristics to form a set: message tone
(e.g., positive, negative, neutral) 20, an avatar 21, a font 22, and a
border 23. The display characteristics are not limited to those shown,
but may also include other graphics, certain words, certain sentences,
voice tones, etc. The message characteristics are then combined to create
a message for display on the mobile device. In this example, a
congratulatory message with the positive phrases underlined 24, a black
border 25, and a young woman avatar 26 are displayed on a cellular phone
27.

[0029]FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the physical structure of the system.
Each of the connections mentioned here permit data to flow in both
directions. A laptop or desktop personal computer 100 is connected to the
server 120 through the internet 110. The user may connect to a website to
create an account and enter personal information and preferences for
creating a profile. The server 120 is connected to one or more databases
122, 124 comprising user data, nutrition provider data (nutritional data
related to meals offered by a plurality of meal providers), diet, and
exercise data, message data, progress data, compliance data, restaurant,
shopping, and entertainment establishment data, reward data, and other
data as may be required to provide the features and functionality of the
present invention. The server 120 is connected to communication networks
130 (comprising various data transmitters and receivers) through the
internet 110. The various data transmitters and receivers of the
communication networks 130 facilitate communications with the user's
portable technology 140 which includes cellular or mobile phones,
personal digital assistants, or any other portable device capable of
sending and receiving communications through the communication networks
130 and displaying them for a user. An expert system at the server uses
the individual's account information, including information about the
individual's mobile phone, to tailor and send to the individual messages
to reinforce and motivate healthy habits.

[0030]In an example embodiment, the expert system is constructed using the
J2EE programming language in conjunction with a SQL based database (like
Microsoft SQL Server or Oracle DB). AJAX, Active X, and Java components
may also be used to handle various aspects of the system. The mobile
component of the overall system is constructed using the J2ME programming
language sending wireless requests to the expert system over common
carrier communication protocols. Communication between the mobile
component and the expert system is constructed using XML language
structures.

[0031]Any embodiment may include any of the optional or preferred features
of the other embodiments. The exemplary embodiments herein disclosed are
not intended to be exhaustive or to unnecessarily limit the scope of the
invention. The exemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order
to explain the principles so that others skilled in the art may practice
the invention. Having shown and described exemplary embodiments, those
skilled in the art will realize that many variations and modifications
may be made to affect the described invention. Many of those variations
and modifications will provide the same result and fall within the spirit
of the claimed invention. It is the intention, therefore, to limit the
invention only as indicated by the scope of the claims.